Crash Survival Zone

The stock market’s damage has already been done. And if you’re one of those people near or already in retirement, you already know you’re going to have to work longer, save more or spend less.

But what should you do right now with the money you have left? Should you wade back into the stock market, [...]

Medicare and Social Security are in terrible shape. Unfortunately, private-sector health and pension plans are doing even worse.
By Daniel Gross
Unlike my colleague Robert Samuelson, I’m not too worried about the impending bankruptcy of Medicare and Social Security, the government-run programs designed to provide health care and pensions to Americans. The two programs, he notes, will [...]

Instead of working longer as the economy worsens, more Americans are calling it quits before age 66. The ramifications could be profound for the retirees, families, government and social institutions.
Instead of seeing older workers staying on the job longer as the economy has worsened, the Social Security system is reporting a major surge in early [...]

The next financial crisis—yes, we saw it coming.

By Mark Gimein

If several years before the financial and credit crisis hit someone had told you that the housing market was preposterously overvalued and derivatives were headed for cataclysm, would it have been worth paying attention to? The answer’s pretty clearly yes, ain’t it? Of course, some of [...]

The trust funds for both Medicare and Social Security will run out of money earlier than expected because of the recession, the trustees reported today. The Medicare Trust Fund will run out of money by 2017 two years earlier than forecast last year. The Social Security Trust Fund’s life has been shortened by four years [...]

How the boss absconded with your benefits.

By David Cay Johnston
John Snow won’t have to worry about his retirement. When he left the csx railroad to become George W. Bush’s second treasury secretary, he took with him a $2.5 million annual pension. The figure was based on 44 years of employment at csx, never mind that [...]

Retirees should start getting ready now for major changes next year that will affect their income and health expenses. The precise impact of these changes will vary by individual, so consumers should take stock of their financial situations and plan accordingly. Many economists say inflation will be a serious concern in a few years after [...]

Government should use the lessons of behavioral economics to get us to invest more for retirement.

Aging Americans are facing a perfect storm when it comes to retirement. Many have done little saving over the past two decades and have now seen what they have saved, either in their 401(k) or their home equity, decline sharply [...]

Enclosed shopping centers, long the cathedrals of American consumerism, are closing their doors by the hundreds as the recession continues to clobber retail sales. Is America’s love affair with the mall over?

Are malls dying?

The vital signs are not good. Even before the recession hit, consumers had developed mall fatigue, and the classic enclosed shopping mall [...]

Tens of millions of Americans are enrolled in private employer-sponsored retirement plans — the great majority of them in 401(k) plans, which long ago replaced traditional pension benefits. These plans are easy to participate in with payroll deduction, and most people — once signed up — don’t spend much time thinking about the investments they’ve [...]